After me, after you
by Kanan
Summary: It's been a while, and things have been good. Peace... but now, is someone trying to ruin that peace? One by one, strange things happen to the ronins. can they figure this out before one or all of them get seriously hurt? or worse!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Ronin Warriors… but I really, really wanna! -_Cries_ -It just isn't fair! I don't get ANYTHING I want!

After me, after you

After Talpa was long gone, the Ronin Warriors thought they didn't have to worry about. They could go on living normal lives, and they did that. They chose to still live in the same house, though there were some differences. Ryo and Mia shared a room, and the others bunked together, like before. White Blaze was built a little house outside, and Cye was still the main source of nutrition. Not that he minded it at all. Cye loved to cook, and on the side, he was hired by Kento's relative's restaurant in town. Kento worked there, also, but he preferred to be a server/entertainer. The customers found him simply hilarious.

Sage got a job up at the college, lecturing students about ancient times, and mystic artifacts. He was sure to keep those kids in line. Rowen still slept a lot, but most of the time, he was at home, taking a computer learning course on medical stuff. When he was studying, everyone knew better than to disturb him. Ryo decided to learn what Mia does, and he's been working with her for the past month.

That's right. There has been nothing going on for a whole month! It may not seem very long to anyone else, but to them, it was a breath of fresh air. They really thought they would get to live normally, finally. They had waited for this moment since they were kids, but now that it was here, they didn't know what to do with their lives. Cye was a good example. He couldn't wait for the fighting to end, and yet, once it did, all he could think about was when it would start up again. That's what he was talking to Kento about as the two left the grocery store. Kento shook his head and shifted the three bags of food he was balancing so that he could shake a finger at his best friend.

"Now, now, Cye…this isn't like you?"

"What? What do you mean not like me?"

"Well, what happened to the you that said he wanted the fighting to stop? Really, man, you get wacky mood swings!"

"No, they're not mood swings, it's just that… it doesn't feel like it's all over yet!"

"Yeah, whatever, man. Just unlock the car so we can get home and eat!"

"Okay, you glutton. Hold on a minute!"

Cye moved the bag he had to the other arm as his free hand searched his pocket for the car keys. When he found them, he held them up to Kento and they both smiled. A stranger watched from a café across the street, smiling, as time moved in slow motion. Cye lifted the button up towards the car, and pushed it. Even slower, his expression changed. He sensed something, but not soon enough. Something clicked in the car, and the next thing the two unexpected ronins know -they were being blown back. Kento is rammed into a metal gate of a closed building, denting it. He was out before he slid down and hit the ground. As for Cye, he remained perfectly conscious as he was pushed back through a store window. His eyes widened. The car had exploded, and he saw it jump up in the air just before it blew again, causing him to go into a spin. Cye was thrown further into the store, and he hit a number of manikins on his way. He finally stopped in the middle of the floor, covered in glass and a bit of blood. He couldn't tell how bad the cut on his forehead was, but his arm hurt the most out of the rest of his aching body. He tried once to stand, but his body protested too much.

Cye had to get outside. He didn't see Kento fall in there with him, which meant he must be on the street. He had to make sure his friend was okay. Very slowly, he managed to crawl back to the front of the store and out the window. That was a tricky one, and it hurt like you couldn't imagine, but he had to do it. He propped himself up on his good elbow and looked around. There was smoke and smoking car parts everywhere, making it hard to see. Most people passing by were too afraid to get close. He could hear some people talking, though. Good, they were calling for an ambulance. He needed one really bad.

And apparently, so did Kento. Cye finally saw him near the dented gate, lying on his stomach not moving. The groceries were gone, but that was the least of their problems. Again, he started moving, and after what felt like hours, he managed to get there to Kento. Truth was, it had been only five minutes, but time seemed to seem longer at times like that. All of the ronins had learned that over the years during the war.

With a shaky right hand, Cye reached out and touched Kento's unmoving hand, softly calling his name. Much to his relief, Kento groaned a little. Even if he didn't wake up, it was good to see that he was alive. Cye managed to remain conscious until the paramedics got there and loaded them both onto rolling beds. When Kento woke up, he was in the truck, with the doors about to close. A doctor was at his left, checking his vitals, and all he could think was he didn't know where Cye was.

Then, much to his horror, he looked out and saw his friend, unconscious and hooked up to an oxygen mask, being loaded into another ambulance. Kento yelled, but the doors closed on him.


	2. Chapter 2

A red jeep whirled down winding streets, clearly going over the speed limit. Rush hour wasn't fast enough, and the four passengers were in a rush in getting to the hospital. Half an hour earlier when Rowen picked up the phone, he hadn't expected to hear Cye's weak voice asking him and the others to come to the hospital, and when they got there, none of them had expected they'd make such good time. Ryo and Mia were the first ones through the doors, and they were at the receptionists' desk before Rowen and Sage were even out of the car. Mia tried to remain calm, but she couldn't keep it together well enough to speak. When she tried, she started crying and buried her face in Ryo's shoulder. He put an arm around her and turned towards the nurse.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, we're here to see two of our friends who came in here about half an hour ago. They were in a car accident."

"Are you referring to… Mr. Mouri and Mr. Faun?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you are?"

"We're as close as family can get. Please… tell me they're okay."

"I don't know, young man. They're right at the end of this hall. Go through those doors and take the third right, and the second left."

"Thanks."

Ryo put another arm around Mia as the group followed the instructions. As they neared the back of the building, they spotted a young man with light hair sitting in a wheelchair. Instantly, they sped up their paces and soon found themselves in front of the boy. Cye's head was down, and he was in uncomfortable hospital clothes. His left arm was in a sling, and his head had a bandage wrapped around it. He was silent as death, which scared them all. Mia held onto Ryo more firmly, as the leader leaned down a little to look into the calm face.

"C-Cye…?"

Slowly, crystal blue eyes opened, and everyone let go of the breaths they'd been holding. Cye looked tired, but he still smiled up at them, and lifted his head a little.

"Hi, guys… thanks for coming down here so quickly…"

"Oh, Cye…!"

Mia let go of Ryo and fell to her knees in front of Cye, crying onto his lap. The brit smiled down at her and set his good hand on her head. The others were smiling, too.

"Glad to see you're okay, buddy."

"Yeah, you really gave us a scare for a minute there! Poor Rowen almost wet his pants!"

"What! I did not, you liar!"

Rowen's face glowed bright red, and the others laughed at him. Mia managed a laugh too, but Cye's laugh sounded terribly weak. Ryo set a hand on his head gently, and his face turned more serious.

"Cye… where is Kento? Is he okay?"

"Yeah… I haven't gotten to see him yet, but the nurse told me he was okay and in that room across the way. She said she'd come back and wheel me in, but that seemed like hours ago…"

"If you're up to it, I'll wheel you in!"

"Thanks, Ryo… Kento needs me!"

"How can you tell?"

"Easy! I can hear Kento's wailing from a mile away…!"

They all laughed again, and Ryo moved Cye's chair away from the wall, and they followed the complaining to a room further down the hall. Even before they entered the room, they could hear a lot of commotion.

"Mr. Faun, please calm yourself!"

"No way! How can I be calm if I don't even know if my friend is okay!"

"Sounds like the doc has got a lot of work cut out for him."

"Totally."

"Well, lets go make it a little easier for the poor man. What do you say, Cye?"

"Definitely…!"

"Okay."

Sage and Rowen held open the door and Kento looked back. He was lying on his stomach on a hospital bed, shirtless, and propped up on his elbows. He had a bandage around his upper right arm, and the doctor was trying to patch up some cuts on his back. He smiled at them, and even more at Ryo as he wheeled Cye in. his eyes widened and he waved his hand around.

"Cye! Oh my god! I was so worried about you, man!"

"Likewise…"

Ryo moved Cye next to Kento's bed and the two held hands. Kento looked relieved, but worried at the same time.

"Oh, Cye… were you hurt this badly?" Referring to the wheelchair.

Cye shook his head.

"No, my legs were just giving out on me and I wanted to free up the bed space."

"OH, what a relief!"

"No, what's a relief is that both of you are alive!"

All eyes were on the doctor.

"From what I was told, you two were a mere foot from the car when it exploded."

"What!" Rowen yelled.

"All you said was that you were in a car accident! You didn't happen to mention that it blew up!"

"I guess not… sorry, you guys."

"It's okay…"

"We're just happy now…"

"How soon can we get them out of here, doctor?"

Of course it was Ryo who had to ask that. He never felt very comfortable in hospitals, and the doctor nodded his head and moved away from Kento's bed.

"I'll go take care of the paperwork now, and you can go."

"Oh, good!"

Kento moved to sit on the edge of the bed, but as soon as he did, his head felt dizzy, so he didn't try to stand. The guys and Mia talked until the doctor came back. He gasped at seeing Rowen supporting Kento and Sage supporting Cye, who was carefully nursing his arm.

"Please, boys! Let me get you another wheelchair! You don't want to further injure yourselves!"

"Don't worry, doc. We've got experience when it comes to this. Ready to go you two?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!"

Cye was a little weak, and just barely managed to nod his head as a response. Against the doctor's recommendations, and much to his surprise, the boys got Kento and Cye in the car and left. Cye fell asleep on the way, slightly leaning on Kento's shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

The words "We're home" were the two greatest words the injured ronins has ever heard. None of them were very fond of hospitals, and they all felt most comfortable when they were close-by each other in Mia's house. As Mia turned the car off, she looked where everyone else was looking, to the backseat next to Ryo, where Kento and Cye had dozed off. It was a precious sight. But, though things were a little calmer now, there was still an air of uneasiness about them. They could have lost two of their friends that day, and there was still the chance that the explosion wasn't an accident.

"They've been through so much today…"

"Yeah, they deserve to rest, but first, we've got to get them up so we can get inside."

"Well, we can carry Cye, but I'm not volunteering to carry Kento in."

"Me either."

"Don't look at me."

So, Ryo leaned over and lightly shook Kento's shoulder, without waking Cye. Kento opened his eyes tiredly, and then looked around at all the smiling faces looking at him. He was about to ask why he was getting looks, until he noticed his little friend sleeping soundly on his shoulder.

"Wakie, wakie, Kento… do you think you can walk inside on your own?"

"Yeah, I'm rested enough."

"Good."

Kento propped Cye up enough so that he could slip out his door, and then he turned to get Cye, but Rowen pulled him away, instead.

"Wha?"

"Let Sage take care of Cye, okay?"

"But, I can get him!"

"No, Kento. You'll end up straining yourself."

Sage stated matter-of-factly, making Kento glare at him. Still, he let Sage pick Cye up, and followed Mia and the others into the house. Mai went directly into the kitchen to make some lunch, and everyone else went into the living room. Good thing Mia had a lot of furniture. Ryo took the chair, Rowen and Kento took the smaller couch, and Sage sat down on the larger one, holding Cye. He sat Cye up straight at first, and when Ryo tossed him a pillow, he set it on his lap. That's when Cye started to wake.

"Wot… are we there, already?"

"Yeah, we're back."

"Just rest for a while, now, buddy. Okay?"

Cye tiredly nodded and Sage led him to lay his head on the pillow. He fell asleep almost instantly. Once he was, more or less, dead to the world, all eyes were on Kento.

"What happened?"

"Yeah, we send you guys up for food and we get the both of you back crispy as chicken."

"Honestly, I don't know… things were fine up until we left the store. We had all the groceries together, and then Cye pressed the unlock button on the car and boom."

"Hmm… a trigger…"

"What are you talking about?"

"The unlocking button was a trigger that set the bomb off. If there was a trigger, that suggested that there was malice aforethought."

"It also suggests that whoever set up the bomb knew who they were targeting."

"So… this is another enemy from the netherworld?"

"Maybe… but, if it is, why attack you with a bomb? Usually, their kind didn't matter if they show off their skills in public, so wouldn't it make more sense for them to have attacked you guys normally?"

"Hmm…"

"Don't worry, guys… I'm sure you'll figure this out, sooner or later. For the time being, just relax."

Everyone looked up to see Mia coming back from the kitchen, and much to Kento's delight, she was carrying a tray of food. He had been so worried about Cye and everything that had happened, that he had forgotten about his hunger al together. As soon as Mia set the tray down on the coffee table, Kento attacked it. The others had to wrestle him if they wanted any.

Soon after that, they woke up Cye, and he ate a little, too. He wasn't very hungry, though, and went up to his room to sleep early. Kento stayed with the others for another two hours before he decided to sleep, also. A while after that, the living room was dark and quiet, but not empty. Ryo was still sitting on the chair, desperately trying to figure out who their enemy was, and what exactly he or she was after. He was so lost in thought that he hadn't heard one of his friends walking up behind him.

Sage stood in silence next to the couch and stared at Ryo, worriedly. He knew his friend was concerned, and he had been just as afraid for his friend's safety when Cye called from the hospital. From the car, he could tell that Ryo was on the verge of a major breakdown, but for the sake of his friends, and Mia, he had to keep it cool. That was the unfortunate drawback of being the leader. After he had been standing there a while without being noticed, he decided to speak up.

"It's late, Ryo…"

True, is was late, but he wanted to make his friend feel better, and he just didn't see how it worked with just that. Ryo calmly lifted his head from where it had been resting on his hands, and looked tiredly at Sage.

"Sorry, Sage… I know. Did I wake you?"

"How could you? You haven't made the slightest sound since Cye left for his room."

"So, what're you doing up this late?"

"Well… a certain leader-friend of mine has a tendency to get depressed and blame himself for everything."

Ryo made a low sound in his throat and almost smiled, even as he turned his head away. Sage didn't take that as a 'go away', so he moved around the couch to sit on the edge of it, near his friend.

"I thought I'd come down here and keep ya company."

"Thanks, Sage…"

Ryo was trying, desperately, not to make eye contact with Sage now, and the blonde knew that couldn't be good. He could see a fierceness burning in those deep 'tiger' eyes, and there were so many confusing emotions flowing through him. Sage just sat and watched Ryo, sensing each emotion and thought as they passed through the others' mind. Warlords, Tapla, evil, accident, human enemy… all of those things could have been the cause of what happened that day, but there were so many gaps and loopholes in each theory, it was hard to imagine anyone they had met before having done that.

Soon, Ryo felt a headache coming on, and he leaned his head back over the chair, groaning in frustration. Sage was far calmer, and sat silently. Finally, after a long time, Ryo decided he couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"Have you come up with anything?"

"No, nothing. This event has me just as angry and confused as you."

"Man… who could have put this all together? Who, other than the obvious choices, would want us dead? It just doesn't make sense!"

"…"

"We've talked about it, and there isn't any evidence to prove or disprove if this was an attack from the dynasty! But, who else would be capable? Huh, Sage?"

Ryo looked to the right, and his eyes widened a little. Sage had drifted off into a light slumber while sitting up. His eyes were closed, and his shoulder rose and fell with each breath. It was kind of cute, though. Sighing, Ryo rose from his seat and placed a warm blanket over his friend, and then took his leave, finally heading up the stairs to sleep. However, when he got to his room, he suddenly felt very tired, but he didn't want to sleep in his bed. So, he went out onto the balcony.

The air was warm, and comforting, and the longer he stayed out there, the more tired he felt. He decided, sitting down was a big mistake. Once he sat down, he didn't feel like he had the strength to get up and haul himself into bed. Fortunately, his loyal and eternal friend, White Blaze walked out, and settled himself behind his keeper, closely. Ryo looked back.

"Are you sure, White Blaze?"

The tiger purred in response, and Ryo smiled and lay back against the warm tiger. He stared up at the sky for as long as he could hold his eyes open, and then drifted off into a deep, comfortable sleep.

"Thank you…"

once he was sure his master was asleep, White Blaze shifted his position so that he was curled around the man, making sure he was warm enough to last the night, and then he fell asleep, himself.


	4. Chapter 4

Cye was a creature of habit, as everyone knew, and, despite the previous day's events, he was up bright and early the next morning. Though, due to his injured arm, which was supposed to remain in a sling for a long while, he wasn't cooking away in the kitchen. All of the meals he usually made for breakfast required two hands. So, he sat at the table looking through a cookbook as Mia took his place in the kitchen. His urge to cook something was, at times, a gift, and a curse.

"Okay… pancakes! Mix contents described up top in a large bowl, and pour into lightly greased pan. Seems simple enough! Hmm… Uh, oh… When flipping pancakes, rotate the pan…to ensure equal browning… Well, that wont work! Lets see… another recipe is…"

From the kitchen door, Mia was looking at Cye, and let out a silent giggle before returning to her work. She really felt bad for Cye. Because he was injured, she had to banish him, temporarily, from cooking, and she knew for a fact that everything in her cookbook required two hands to put together perfectly, as he liked it. Though, looking on the bright side, it gave the teen a chance to rest. Or maybe not. Even from inside the kitchen, she still heard the sound of his head hitting the table.

When Kento came down from his and Cye's room, he expected to see breakfast on the table, not a gloomy Cye. He quirked an eyebrow and then took a seat, slowly, next to his friend. For a while, he didn't say a word, and let Cye brood a while before he said anything.

"So, what's eating you?"

Cye sniffed, and slowly rose his head, which had tear streaks on it. His tears were flowing over his cheeks like rivers, and his eyes were big and sparkly.

"I can't cook…"

Kento had the most perplexed look on his face. He didn't know how to respond as his specialty was EATING food, not cooking it, but, he sympathized. If he wasn't allowed to eat, he'd probably go nuts and cry, too. Well, it's not like he'd admit he would cry; he had a reputation to uphold, you know. After he was done unloading his frustrations, Cye wiped the remaining tears form his eyes.

"Why are you up this early, Kento?"

"Ah, you know, this and that…"

"Oh?"

Kento tried not to make eye contact. When it came to Cye, all it took was a stare, and the boy would know everything. He just couldn't lie! But, looking away wasn't helping. He could feel Cye's eyes staring at him, and he finally sighed and caved.

"Truthfully… my legs and back were bothering me too much. I couldn't get back to sleep."

"Why didn't you just say so?"

Cye lazily and tiredly reached into his droopy pocket, which was located on the front of his hooded shirt, and pulled out a medicine bottle. He then placed it on the table in front of Kento.

"What's that?"

"Mia's been loading me full of painkillers since I woke up at three. I'm willing to share…"

"My, how nice… how much of this stuff have you taken now?"

"Lets just say I wont be able to get up from the table without falling flat on my face."

"Oh, great… the last thing we need is a drugged out water bearer!"

"Bite me."

"Whoa, looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!"

Kento looked up, and Cye tried to look up, and Sage was walking into the dining room. He looked at Kento and smiled, and then at the bottle he was holding, and then at a dozy Cye.

"What's going on?"

"Cye's pretty much doped up."

"Uh-oh."

"Shut up…It's bad enough I'm getting it from Kento. Don't you start, now!"

"Sorry!"

Sage took the seat across from Kento, and looking at how miserable Cye was, he felt sorry for him, and started rubbing the boy's back. When Cye didn't argue, he just kept doing it as he talked with Kento longer. In half an hour, all five ronins were seated at the table, and Cye was more or less dead to the world, again. Sage had that effect on people. Oh yeah, and the medication had something to do with it, too. As Cye slept, everyone talked about what they should do during the day. Soon, Mia came out with food, and served a plate to everyone. But then, she stood in front of where Cye' was sitting, still slouched over with his head in the spot where she had planned on putting the plate.

"Should we wake him? He needs to eat something."

"Nah, just let him be for now. He'll wake up when he's hungry."

"So, do we have a plan today?"

"Well, going to the beach is out, since Cye would want to swim."

"The doctor said to keep his arm elevated and not to move it, so yeah, bad idea."

"Some of us could train, but Kento would feel left out, and sitting around watching movies would bore some of us to tears!"

Rowen raised his hand.

"We could all catch up on reading!"

"Shut up, Ro."

Rowen always suggested that. The only reason he kept bringing it up was that he wanted to see what reactions he would get. Eventually, he believed, they would come around, and start reading. Breakfast was half over, and meals had barely been touched. Not to mention that they still hadn't found anything to do that day.

They were still discussing it when White Blaze entered the kitchen.

"Well, how about the museum?"

"You're joking, right?"

"No. what's wrong with that idea?"

"It's a total snooze-fest!"

"Fine, Mr. Uncultured!"

"Okay, what about skating?"

"Rowen falls down too much. One of us always has to babysit him!"

That wasn't Kento's comeback. Rowen sat back in his seat with a sour look on his face, since it was true. He was a scholar, not a skater. Now, they were running out of ideas. White Blaze had been standing in the doorway looking back and forth between each ronin as they argued, and then he turned his head and spotted Cye sitting still in his seat.

White Blaze was always a curious kitty, and so when he didn't hear the boy's voice, or see him move, he wanted to know why. Without anyone else noticing, he crawled under the table and sat in front of Cye. He lightly purred, but Cye didn't respond. Then, he set his paw on his foot, and Cye twitched. But that wasn't good enough for the big tiger, and he purred louder and nuzzled Cye's thigh.

Cye wasn't expecting that, and he awoke with a start. Though, when he jolted awake, his injured arm accidentally hit the edge of the table, and he let out a yell before falling to the floor. Kento let out a shocked gasp at seeing his friend collapse, and then the group caught the sight of White Blaze as he walked out from under the table, and started to lick Cye's face. The boy was in pain, and he didn't have the strength to push the big cat off.

"Ah! White Blaze, no!"

Ryo quickly got out of his seat and knelt by Cye, softly pulling his pet away from Cye's face so the boy could breathe. Sage and Kento were by him in seconds, helping the boy sit up. Kento let Cye lean his back against his chest, and Sage lightly touched Cye's arm, which had gotten out of the sling.

"Cye, are you okay?"

"Oh yeah… I'm just peachy, thanks! Not only am I in pain… but I've got slobber on my face, too!"

"I'm sorry, Cye… I've never seen White Blaze act so randomly!"

"Maybe it wasn't random…" Sage started.

Cye's arm was slowly eased back into the sling, and that lessened the pain a great deal. Cye let out a deep breath and relaxed.

"I mean, Blaze has been with us from the start. Maybe he was just worried about Cye, too."

"Ya think?"

"Yeah… that makes sense."

"I guess it does. I'm glad he cares!"

Cye smiled and reached out to pet the tiger a little. Ryo and the others smiled, too, and then he gave his pet a big hug around the neck.

"Aww! You're just a big softy, aren't you, White Blaze? Yes you are! Yes you are, you affectionate kitty, you!"

Ryo placed a kiss on the tiger's head, and then White Blaze growled quietly and pounced on the ronin, placing his own kind of kisses all over him, like he did with Cye. Things were finally looking up, but there was something amiss outside the window, and it was watching them very closely.

"You may think it's over now, ronins, but the terror is just beginning…"


	5. Chapter 5

Rowen was getting tired of staying indoors, and after 3 days of isolation, he was almost to the point where he was ripping his hair out. Cye didn't mind it all that much, since most of the time, he was on painkillers, and he was hurting when he moved around too much. Kento went out on walks, in secret, so he was also fine. All Sage did all day was meditate, trying to figure out who their attacker was, though he didn't appear to be getting anywhere. Mia and Ryo… well, they talked, they cleaned, and so forth, trying to keep themselves occupied. At the time, about mid-day, Rowen was sitting on the couch next to Cye, Kento was in a nearby armchair, and the television was on. Though, Rowen wasn't paying attention to it at all. All he could think about was going outside, more specifically to the city, to do something other than what they had been doing. Then, he blew, standing up from the couch.

"I can't take this!"

Cye nearly fell out of his seat, startled by Rowen's sudden outburst, and Kento simply looked over, hardly phased.

"How can the rest of you stand being cooped up in here for so long! "

"Dude… it hasn't been THAT long since you've gone out, so chill!"

"Kento's right, Rowen…" Cye sat back upright in his seat, cradling his arm. "Until we know who is trying to kill us, we can't go outside as often!"

"But… this is so boring!"

"I'm sorry, Rowen… you don't have a choice. Bad things can happen if you go out."

Saying that, the auburn-haired ronin sat back against the couch and continued to watch the uninteresting show. Rowen was frustrated, but he knew his friends were right. Though, sitting around wasn't what he wanted to do, so he walked around the couch and headed towards the front door. Kento looked back at him once, but other than that, he paid the blue-haired boy no mind. On his way to the door, Rowen passed by Sage, who was on his way down the stairs from meditating in his room, probably. The blonde set a hand on his friend's shoulder and inquired, as Rowen's hand fell on the doorknob, but Rowen quickly said he was going for a walk around the house before breaking free from his friend.

The sun was shining bright and high in the sky that day, and even after a mere few minutes, Rowen had to wipe sweat from his brow. It was warm, boring, and he didn't know if he could take it much longer. If he wanted to do something, he thought, he could go down to the nearby lake, but that would only keep him entertained for a very limited amount of time, and afterwards, he would be just as bored and irritated. Just then, as he walked back up to the front door, giving up, he felt the weight of his armor orb in his pocket. There was a long period of silence, and then, a grin crawled its way onto his face. Rowen looked around before carefully taking out his orb, and donning his subarmor. Once he made sure no one was looking, he ran, far and fast, towards the city.

_I'm not a kid! I can do whatever I want, as long as I'm careful!_

Dangerous thoughts, perhaps?

--

Nobody inquired about Rowen's disappearance for a long time, but Sage sighed, knowing the boy all too well. Without even being asked, he grabbed his jacket and the keys to his new car and went out to look for the other. Being as keen and aware as he was, he knew something was about to happen, so he made sure to bring his armor orb.

Meanwhile, Rowen was having a blast! When he got to the city, he did away with his subarmor in an empty alley and walked about as if things were great. The streets were crowded that day, but Rowen didn't mind. It was nice to just be around other people again. So, with his few hours of freedom, he went to an arcade an blew a bunch of money, then he went to the mall and looked around. He even found an interesting blue shirt and bought that. Then, he simply walked around and took in the sights, stopping to browse in book and video game stores along the way. This was definitely a great day, he thought.

Though, as the time grew a little later, his stomach reminded him that he'd skipped lunch. The wearer of the strata armor looked around for a decent place to eat, and eventually settled for a burger place. He got a double cheese burger with bacon and a large coke, and ate that as he walked back towards the direction of Mia's house. However, before too long, he could no longer ignore a feeling he was getting. So, he stopped and looked back, but there were so many bystanders that he couldn't tell who the feeling was coming from. Someone was definitely tailing him.

He knew he could outrun his pursuer, but he didn't want to leave right away if he could figure out who it was. But there was no guarantee, still of whether or not his stalker was the same as the one who tried to kill Kento and Cye. There was so much he didn't know, but he shouldn't have gotten so lost in thought. All at once, a feeling came again, and he let go of his food, dropping to the ground. Barely a second later, a barrage of bullets was being fired into the wall right where Rowen had been standing. If he hadn't moved when he did, he would be like Swiss cheese.

"Damn! Is it him!"

The bullets kept coming, and Rowen had to stay where he was, crouched behind a car. People nearby screamed and ran from the site, but the bullets kept coming. At once point, they paused, and Rowen looked through the windows, trying to see his shooter, but the gunshots started up again, not giving him enough time to see. Then, much to his dismay, the shots kept getting lower, and one in particular hit under the car, ricocheting off of the metal parts. That bullet slid across Rowen's leg, causing him to cry out in pain. More people screamed and ran, but Rowen had to remain still. His leg was bleeding, now, and he tried his best to apply pressure to it. He took out his handkerchief and wrapped it tight around his leg, but that didn't ease the pain. Just then, he heard a noise, and looked to his left, fearing the worst.

It was pretty bad. A little girl was trapped, hiding behind a post (mail) box, receiving some of the fire, herself. She was in danger, and at that moment, she was more important than just him. So, he did some figures in his head, guessing as to how many bullets were left before the gunman had to reload, and when the shots paused again, he ran for the girl. He was out in the open, and only had less than a minute to get her, but then what? Could he go back under the car to hide?

"Jessica!"

A he ran, Rowen looked over and saw a tall man kneeling in the doorway to a café. He must know the girl, because she was yelling for him, too. When the man spotted what Rowen was doing, he waited until he had her and ushered the two to his door. But the gunfire had started up again before he got there, and another grazed by Rowen's leg just as he was jumping inside with the girl. Finally, he was a bit safer.

"Are… are you okay, kid?"

Jessica was on the verge of tears, but she nodded her head and then hugged her daddy, finally crying. The store owner hugged his daughter tightly, almost crying, himself, and then looked up at Rowen.

"Oh, thank you! How can I…. Ah!"

He saw that Rowen was bleeding, and helped the youngest ronin sit up against the wall. He admitted that he didn't know much about patching up wounds, but he quickly got Rowen a first aid kit and watched as the boy tried to take care of the wounds, himself. By then, the gunfire had stopped, and people were returning to the area, slowly. A few cars went by, and Rowen could finally rest easier. Though, he was still in danger, and told the two with him to sneak out the back way, just to be safe.

"Are you sure you'll be all right, son? That looks pretty bad…"

"Y-yeah… I'll get help soon, but please… I'm worried about you two for now."

Because the shooter was after him. He had been targeted just like the others, and Rowen sighed, wishing he had listened and taken a nap, instead of running around like he's a tough guy. Now, he was sitting on a tiled floor, staining it with his blood, and afraid to leave. Once the civilians had left, Rowen took out his phone, but even then, he was hesitant. He had to call them, he had to get back home, and in one piece, at that, but he wasn't sure he was ready to be yelled at. But, then again, he didn't have to, for his phone rang all on its own. He wasn't sure if he should be glad or freaked out, but despite his fears, he slowly answered it and brought the cell to his ear.

"H-hello?"

"Rowen!"

Drat, it was Sage. Though, the blonde didn't sound mad.

"Sage, you called me…?"

"Yeah, I felt something bad over our bond! And my armor orb is going nuts!"

Rowen hadn't even thought about that, and looking at his own orb, he noticed the same- it was blinking brightly, as if using Morse code or something. Rowen was silent as he stared at it, and the quiet made Sage worried; that, and the rough, pained breathing coming from over the line.

"Rowen? Rowen, are you there?"

"…Mm? Oh, yeah. I'm still here…"

"Ro… you sound awful! What happened!"

"I… got shot at. Repeatedly."

The other gasped.

"Is it the same one from…"

"I think so. Too bad I didn't get a good look at him. Sorry."

"That's okay. Tell me where you are; I'm already in the city."

"Uh…. I'm in some café on 4th avenue. Just look for shot up walls and cars and you're there."

Rowen tried to shift his leg into a more comfortable position and couldn't hold back a yelp.

"…I'll be right there, hang on!"

Sage hung up the phone and gunned it, heading for the right street. Rowen sounded in bad shape, and he was right to leave when he did. However, there was still an eerie and dangerous aura in the air, and so he prepared himself for it.

20 minutes passed like 2 hours to Rowen, as he waited for Sage to come around the corner to get him, and his leg had permanently stained the pure white tiles. He made a mental note to apologize once he was better. A number of times, he started to feel dizzy and weak, like he was about to fall unconscious, but banging his head back against the wall a few times got him to stay awake.

Then, he heard the most wonderful sound ever, the loud blaring of Sage's car horn. Slowly and carefully, Rowen pulled himself to his feet, and looked out the door to see if more bullets were coming for him. When he saw none, he grinned and hobbled out the door onto the dirty sidewalk. Though, looking around, he didn't see Sage. He was sure the horn he heard belonged to the blonde, but still, he was nowhere to be seen. At least, for another moment. Just then, he heard it again, and turned to the right. Finally, Sage's car was coming around the corner, and through the windshield, he could see his friend's worried expression.

Rowen sighed and waved his hand to flag his friend down, but as he rose his hand, time seemed to move in slow motion. Sage sensed a tragedy, and as he drove, he slowly moved his head to his left, and that's when he saw it, a bright red car zooming down the street he was approaching. The look on the driver's face was blank, but there was more to it than that. He gasped, his mind registering something familiar, and that was only moments before it came at him, nailing the back end of the green car.

Rowen's facial expressions changed instantly, watching the two cars melding together, and Sage being thrown about in his seat. The wreaks always look worse than they are, and this looked pretty bad… Steaming car parts flew about everywhere, and a plume of black smoke came up from the green car as the hood hopped up. Then, through the breaking window, Rowen made out the shape of the airbag, and that's when he started running.

_Oh God… what have I done?_

Rowen had almost forgotten his leg injuries as he half-ran and half-stumbled over to the crash site and reached out for the passenger door. It was jammed, naturally, and inside, Sage wasn't moving- his head lying up against the steering wheel. And still, Rowen tugged on the door, using all the strength he had to pull it free, even a little. He got that done, nearly ripping the door off its hinges in the process and then he crawled halfway in, over broken glass and specks of blood to sit next to his friend.

"S-Sage? Oh God, Sage, answer me!"

Rowen shook Sage by the shoulder as he started to wake, but the shoulder he had his hand on seemed much firmer and solid than he remembered. Peeling back Sage's coat, he saw green subarmor. Sage looked over at him, bleeding from a few places on his face- like a cut above his eye from hitting the steering wheel, and a bloody nose from the airbag- but there was also a spot on the other side of the boy's jacket, which was dark red. A small tear was clear in the boy's subarmor. This just made Rowen even more worried and guilty.

"Sage… you got hurt, trying to get me… I'm sorry! I shouldn't have gone out like this!"

Rowen's head went down, but Sage was smiling. He banished his subarmor as people started to gather around, applying a bit of pressure to the cut on his side, and looked over at the driver of the other car, just as a dark cloud left her body. Her features returned to normal, and she fell unconscious. Now he knew… Turning to Rowen, Sage lightly patted his arm, and grinned.

"It's okay… if you hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to figure this out."


	6. Chapter 6

Once again, the whole group was gathered together in the hospital, but this time, police officers were with them. Just as they had questioned Kento about the car explosion, the cops asked Sage and Rowen about their experiences. Whitnesses remembered seeing the gunshots, and it appeared as though they had been directly targetted, but Sage denied that, saying that things were just crazy that day. When asked if he knew who was responsible for the incidents, all of them said no.

"Gentlemen, I'd like to assign police protection to prevent this from happening again."

"No… that wont be necessary, officer."

"But-" Still, Sage shook his head, and still, the officer offered.

"But if you boys really are the targets of thee attacks, there is no doubt that-"

"I said no thank you. If this happens again, we'll be sure to let you know."

The officer looked around at the weary group, saddened and concerned. Cye was still in a sling, Kento was sitting, as his back was hurting again, Rowen was in a wheelchair with his whole leg wrapped up, and Sage was lying in bed, recovering from a bad tear in his side. Then, the man looked up at Ryo and Mia, standing there, also looking at the damage done. He feared what may happen to them, also, but as Sage requested, he left it at that and left. Once the officer left, everyone sighed and Sage's smile came back. Ryo was confused, and Kento was looking at him strangely. It was he who spoke first.

"Dude, what's so funny? You two were nearly killed just like us!" Cye nodded.

"I'm happy… because I know who our enemy is."

Everyone gasped.

"Y-you do!"

"Well, who is it, Sage? Come on and tell us!"

"Yeah! Don't leave us hanging! I wanna know who did this, so I can pound 'im!"

"It's a nether spirit."

At that, everyone went silent. There were many questions, and Sage explained what he saw. A nether spirit must have been going around possessing normal people so it could get to the ronins without making a big scene. It was definitely a tactic the guys and Mia hadn't expected, which is why it worked so well. Ryo sighed and covered his face with his hands.

"So, it is the dynasty…"

"Yes, Ryo. And right now, we have to be even MORE careful, for the next target, most likely… will be you."

Ryo didn't move. He simply stood there and thought about it. If their enemy was a spirit, how could they beat it? Had the ronin warriors finally met their match?

Not too much later, a doctor came in and released Rowen and Sage, and the others brought them home to rest up. Sage and Rowen slept the rest of the day away, while the others stuck together in the living room. Kento had decided to sit on a beanbag, after dragging it into the living room where Ryo was sitting on the floor with White Blaze, and after getting a snack, Cye joined them. He joined Kento on the other side of the beanbag, where he was lying stretched out, but eventually, he slipped down to rest slightly on his friend's stomach. It was normal, and Kento didn't mind so much.

"This is just… unbelievable."

"Yeah, Ryo, it is. But it's also real."

"I cont believe they got us so eas'ly." Cye sighed.

"I know! We're supposed to be the good guys, and last I checked, it wasn't us who're supposed to get our butts kicked!"

Kento sighed deeply in frustration, making Cye's head go up and down in an almost comical fashion. In any other situation, Ryo would've laughed at that. But now, all of his friends were badly hurt, and he was the one left out. It wasn't that he WANTED to get hurt, but being the only uninjured person and having not been able to help his friends made him feel awful! For the umpteenth time, everyone sighed. Looking in from the hall, Mia sighed, and she tried her best to put on a smile as she walked in. Ryo noticed her entry and made a spot for her next to him on the floor. White Blaze looked up as another person sat against him, but he really didn't mind, especially since Mia petted him a lot. After getting his thanks from her, he went back to his relaxing.

"Now that we know our enemy, we have an advantage, I think."

"Yeah, I guess…" Kento huffed. Cye opened an eye and looked up at his friend.

"Ev'n so, we have problems."

"Cye's right. We know who it is that's after us, but as long as he's possessing people, we can't touch it!


End file.
